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Version: Early Access

ServiceNow Plugin

With the Release ServiceNow plugin, you can work with release tasks on a ServiceNow host from the Release UI.

About ServiceNow​

ServiceNow is a cloud-based platform that automates workflows across IT service management (ITSM), IT business management (ITBM), and IT operations management (ITOM).

The ServiceNow plugin for Digital.ai Release integrates Release workflows with ServiceNow and allows you to:

  • Create, update, and manage ServiceNow records.
  • Query existing records, including change requests, incidents, service requests, and configuration items.
  • Automate ServiceNow actions directly from your Release workflows.

In the Release Flow Editor, ServiceNow tasks have a blue border.

Prerequisites​

  1. Digital.ai Release 9.0 or later
  2. A running ServiceNow instance
  3. ServiceNow user credentials with appropriate permissions for the tasks you want to execute

Install the ServiceNow Plugin​

To install the plugin:

  1. Open Release.
  2. Click the cog icon on the top right.
  3. Select Manage Plugins.
  4. Search for ServiceNow.
  5. Click Install Now next to the ServiceNow plugin.

For more information on plugin installation, see Plugin Manager.

Setup Connection to ServiceNow Server​

In Digital.ai Release, go to Configuration > Connections > ServiceNow: Server and click + to add a new ServiceNow server connection.

Enter the following details:

  1. Title - A symbolic name for the connection.

  2. URL - Base URL of the ServiceNow instance.

  3. Choose authentication method

    • If you use Basic authentication, enter these fields:

      FieldDescription
      UsernameLogin user ID for the ServiceNow instance.
      PasswordLogin password for the ServiceNow instance.

    • If you use OAuth, enable Use ServiceNow OAuth and enter these fields:

      FieldDescription
      External OAuth URLCustom OAuth URL. Leave blank to use ServiceNow's OAuth server.
      External OAuth EndpointOAuth token endpoint (if using an external OAuth server).
      UsernameServiceNow username (required when OAuth is enabled).
      PasswordServiceNow password (required when OAuth is enabled).
      Client IDOAuth client identifier (required when OAuth is enabled).
      Client secretOAuth client secret (required when OAuth is enabled).
      Grant Type (External OAuth only)OAuth grant type (e.g., password). Not required with ServiceNow OAuth.
      Scope (External OAuth only)OAuth scope values. Not required with ServiceNow OAuth.
      External OAuth Authorization HeaderOptional: full authorization header value for external OAuth (for example Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=).

  4. Configure proxy (optional)

    FieldDescription
    Proxy hostHTTP proxy host.
    Proxy portHTTP proxy port.
    Proxy usernameHTTP proxy username (if proxy requires auth).
    Proxy passwordHTTP proxy password.
    Proxy domainDomain for NTLM proxy authentication (optional).

  5. Wait for status

    FieldDescription
    Wait Progression TypeSelect the retry strategy:
    • Exponential — Uses exponential backoff.
    • Custom list — Uses a custom sequence of retry intervals.
    Max TriesMaximum number of retry attempts. Set 0 for unlimited retries.
    Wait IntervalInitial wait time (in seconds) between retry attempts.
    Wait Interval IncreaseMultiplier used for exponential backoff. For example, 1.0 means no increase.
    Wait Custom ListApplies only when Custom list is selected for Wait Progression Type. Enter values as comma-separated pairs of tries,interval.

    Example: 10,300 5,900
    • First 10 tries: wait 300 seconds each
    • Next 5 tries: wait 900 seconds each
    Pairs are processed in order.

  6. API URL Endpoint - A custom API path that replaces the default /api/now/table.

  7. Test and Save - Click Test to verify the connection and credentials and Save to create the connection.

Click Cancel to cancel the operation.

ServiceNow server connection configuration page

Available Tasks​

The ServiceNow plugin provides the following task types organized by category:

ITSM Tasks​

The following ITSM task types are included:

  • ServiceNow: Create Change Request
  • ServiceNow: Create CMDB CI
  • ServiceNow: Update Change Request
  • ServiceNow: Update CMDB CI
  • ServiceNow: Find Change Request
  • ServiceNow: Create Change Task
  • ServiceNow: Update Change Task
  • ServiceNow: Find Change Task
  • ServiceNow: Find Change Task by Parent
  • ServiceNow: Wait for Status
  • ServiceNow: Create Application
  • ServiceNow: Update Application
  • ServiceNow: Publish Article
  • ServiceNow: Create Incident
  • ServiceNow: Update Incident
  • ServiceNow: Find Incident
  • ServiceNow: Create Service Request
  • ServiceNow: Find Service Request
  • ServiceNow: Update Service Request
  • ServiceNow: Create Request Item
  • ServiceNow: Update Request Item
  • ServiceNow: Find Request Item
  • ServiceNow: Find Record by Number
  • ServiceNow: Find Records by Query
  • ServiceNow: Find CMDB CI by Name

Agile/Scrum Tasks​

For Agile-related task types, an extra update will need to be installed on the ServiceNow side. The available Agile development-related task types are:

  • ServiceNow: Create Story
  • ServiceNow: Update Story
  • ServiceNow: Find Story
  • ServiceNow: wait for Status
  • ServiceNow: Create Scrum Task
  • ServiceNow: Update Scrum Task
  • ServiceNow: Find Scrum Task by Story
  • ServiceNow: Create Epic
  • ServiceNow: Update Epic
  • ServiceNow: Find Epic
  • ServiceNow: Find Sprint
  • ServiceNow: Update Sprint
  • ServiceNow: Create Release
  • ServiceNow: Update Release
  • ServiceNow: Find Release

Each task in the ServiceNow plugin includes input properties and output properties. Input properties pass in parameters required for execution, while output properties capture the results returned by ServiceNow.

Output properties can be mapped to Release variables for later use. For more information, see Mapping Task Output Properties to Variables.

note

To view the list of tasks that are deprecated or removed from ServiceNow integration, see Deprecated Tasks and Removed Tasks.

Task Type and Properties​

This section describes the fields available for each task type as well as the output properties. Many of the task types use the same set of fields, so the descriptions are common to similar tasks.

Task Type: Create​

The ServiceNow: Create task type creates a new record in the ServiceNow server. The following properties are available:

  • Server: [Required] The ServiceNow server to connect to.
  • Username: Overrides the username in Connections.
  • Password: Overrides the password in Connections.
  • Short Description: [Required] A short description of the record to be created.
  • Description: Comments in the record to be created
  • Configuration Item: Related configuration item (display value or sys_id)
  • Assignment Group: The group the record will be assigned to (display value or sys_id).
  • Assigned To: The user the record will be assigned to (display value or sys_id).
  • State: The display value of the state the record will be set to.
  • Priority: The priority to enter for the record.
  • Comments: [Required] Comments in the record to be created.
  • Additional Fields: Additional fields can be added by providing the technical name and the value to enter.

The task output properties are Data, Sys Id, and Ticket.

Task Type: Update​

The ServiceNow: Update task type updates an existing record in the ServiceNow server. The properties are similar to the create task type except for the following property:

  • Sys Id: [Required] The sys ID of the task that needs to be updated (Example: d1a37dcadb0023006ab155d0cf9619d5).

The task output properties are Data and Number.

Task Type: Find​

The ServiceNow: Find task type finds an existing record in the ServiceNow server. The following properties are available:

  • Server: [Required] The ServiceNow Server to connect to.
  • Username: Overrides the username in Connections.
  • Password: Overrides the password in Connections.
  • Number: [Required] The number of the ticket that needs to be found (Example: REQ0010001).

The task output properties are Data and Sys Id.

ServiceNow Find task example

Task Type: Wait for Status​

The ServiceNow: Wait for Status task type verifies the value of an existing task in the ServiceNow server.

The following properties are available:

  • Server: [Required] The ServiceNow Server to connect to.
  • Username: Overrides the username in Connections.
  • Password: Overrides the password in Connections.
  • Table Name: [Required] The table name of the table in ServiceNow (Example: change_task).
  • System ID: [Required] The system ID of the ticket that needs to be updated (Example: d1a37dcadb0023006ab155d0cf9619d5).
  • Status Field: [Required] The status field to use (Example: state).
  • Status to check for: [Required] The value of the status field to check against the status field (Example: Closed,Canceled).
  • Override Server Wait Config: Checked (true) lets the properties on the task override the server properties.
    • For more information on configuring the Wait Progression Type, Max Tries, Wait Interval, Wait Interval Increase and Wait Custom List, see the Setup Connection to ServiceNow Server section.

The task output properties are Data, Number, Status, and Num Tries.

Using the Override Server Wait Config option​

When Override Server Wait Config is enabled, the task uses its own wait settings instead of the server-level settings.

Choose one of these approaches:

  • Use server-level settings: Leave Override Server Wait Config unchecked to use the Wait Progression Type, Max Tries, Wait Interval, and Wait Interval Increase values configured on the ServiceNow server connection.
  • Use custom wait intervals: Check Override Server Wait Config to specify a custom Wait Custom List. This overrides all server-level wait settings and uses only the intervals defined in the custom list.

ServiceNow Wait for Status task configuration

Task Type: Find Change Task by Parent​

The ServiceNow: Find Change Task by Parent task type finds the child change task of a change request from the change request details and the beginning of the short description of the change task. The ServiceNow: Find Scrum Task by Story task type looks and functions similarly to this. The following properties are available:

  • Server: [Required] The ServiceNow Server to connect to.
  • Username: Overrides the username in Connections.
  • Password: Overrides the password in Connections.
  • Short Description: The short description of the record to search for.
  • Parent: [Required] The sys_id of the parent Change Request.

The task output properties are Data and Sys Id.

Find Record by Number​

This task finds a record by number in ServiceNow. It is used to locate a specific record using its unique identifier.

ServiceNow Find Record by Number task

Find Records by Query​

This task finds records by query in ServiceNow. It is used to search for records based on specified query criteria.

ServiceNow Find Records by Query task

Create Change Request​

This task creates a change request in ServiceNow. It is used to initiate a request for changes within the system.

ServiceNow Create Change Request task

Create CMDB CI​

This task creates a new Configuration Item (CI) in ServiceNow's Configuration Management Database (CMDB).

ServiceNow Create CMDB CI task

Create Record​

This task creates a new record in ServiceNow. It can be used to insert data into any supported ServiceNow table, enabling flexibility for custom or less common use cases.

ServiceNow Create Record task

Update Change Request​

This task updates a change request in ServiceNow. It is used to modify the details of an existing change request.

ServiceNow Update Change Request task

Update CMDB CI​

This task updates an existing Configuration Item (CI) in ServiceNow's Configuration Management Database (CMDB).

ServiceNow Update CMDB CI task

Update Record​

This task updates an existing record in ServiceNow. It is used to modify fields in any supported ServiceNow table, making it suitable for both standard and custom records.

ServiceNow Update Record task

Find Change Request​

This task finds a change request by ticket in ServiceNow. It is used to locate a change request using its ticket number.

ServiceNow Find Change Request task

Create Change Task​

This task creates a change task in ServiceNow. It is used to generate a new task associated with a change request.

ServiceNow Create Change Task

Update Change Task​

This task updates a change task in ServiceNow. It is used to modify the details of an existing change task.

ServiceNow Update Change Task

Find Change Task​

This task finds a change task by task ID in ServiceNow. It is used to locate a specific change task using its unique identifier.

ServiceNow Find Change Task

Create Application​

This task creates a new application in ServiceNow. It is used to add a new application to the system.

ServiceNow Create Application task

Update Application​

This task updates an application version in ServiceNow. It is used to modify the version details of an existing application.

ServiceNow Update Application task

Find CMDB CI by Name​

This task finds a configuration item (CI) by name in ServiceNow. It is used to locate a specific CI using its name.

ServiceNow Find CMDB CI by Name task

Publish Article​

This task publishes an article in ServiceNow. It is used to make an article available for viewing.

ServiceNow Publish Article task

Create Incident​

This task creates an incident in ServiceNow. It is used to report and track incidents.

ServiceNow Create Incident task

Update Incident​

This task updates an incident in ServiceNow. It is used to modify the details of an existing incident.

ServiceNow Update Incident task

Find Incident​

This task finds an incident by ticket in ServiceNow. It is used to locate an incident using its ticket number.

ServiceNow Find Incident task

Create Story​

This task creates a story in ServiceNow. It is used to add a new story for tracking purposes.

ServiceNow Create Story task

Update Story​

This task updates a story in ServiceNow. It is used to modify the details of an existing story.

ServiceNow Update Story task

Find Story​

This task finds a story in ServiceNow. It is used to locate a specific story.

ServiceNow Find Story task

Create Scrum Task​

This task creates a scrum task in ServiceNow. It is used to add a new task to a scrum board.

ServiceNow Create Scrum Task

Update Scrum Task​

This task updates a scrum task in ServiceNow. It is used to modify the details of an existing scrum task.

ServiceNow Update Scrum Task

Find Scrum Task by Story​

This task finds a scrum task by story in ServiceNow. It is used to locate scrum tasks associated with a specific story.

ServiceNow Find Scrum Task by Story

Create Epic​

This task creates an epic in ServiceNow. It is used to add a new epic for tracking large work items.

ServiceNow Create Epic task

Update Epic​

This task updates an epic in ServiceNow. It is used to modify the details of an existing epic.

ServiceNow Update Epic task

Find Epic​

This task finds an epic in ServiceNow. It is used to locate a specific epic.

ServiceNow Find Epic task

Update Sprint​

This task updates a sprint in ServiceNow. It is used to modify the details of an existing sprint.

ServiceNow Update Sprint task

Find Sprint​

This task finds a sprint in ServiceNow. It is used to locate a specific sprint.

ServiceNow Find Sprint task

Create Service Request​

This task creates a service request in ServiceNow. It is used to initiate a request for service.

ServiceNow Create Service Request task

Update Service Request​

This task updates a service request in ServiceNow. It is used to modify the details of an existing service request.

ServiceNow Update Service Request task

Find Service Request​

This task finds a service request in ServiceNow. It is used to locate a specific service request.

ServiceNow Find Service Request task

Create Requested Item​

This task creates a request item in ServiceNow. It is used to add a new item to a service request.

ServiceNow Create Request Item task

Update Requested Item​

This task updates a request item in ServiceNow. It is used to modify the details of an existing request item.

ServiceNow Update Request Item task

Find Requested Item​

This task finds a request item in ServiceNow. It is used to locate a specific request item.

ServiceNow Find Request Item task

Request Approval​

This task requests approval in ServiceNow. It is used to initiate the approval process for a change or request.

ServiceNow Request Approval task

Get Change Request​

This task gets a change request in ServiceNow. It is used to retrieve the details of a specific change request.

ServiceNow Get Change Request task

Check Change Request​

This task checks the status of a change request in ServiceNow. It is used to verify the current state of a change request.

ServiceNow Check Change Request task

Schedule Task​

This task schedules a task in ServiceNow. It is used to set a task to be performed at a specific time.

ServiceNow Schedule Task

Update CMDB​

This task updates the CMDB (Configuration Management Database) in ServiceNow. It is used to modify configuration items in the CMDB.

ServiceNow Update CMDB task

Check Status​

This task checks the status of an item in ServiceNow. It is used to verify the current state of a specific item.

ServiceNow Check Status task

Create Release​

This task creates a release in ServiceNow. It is used to initiate a new release process.

ServiceNow Create Release task

Update Release​

This task updates a release in ServiceNow. It is used to modify the details of an existing release.

ServiceNow Update Release task

Find Release​

This task finds a release in ServiceNow. It is used to locate a specific release.

ServiceNow Find Release task

Deprecated Tasks​

The table below describes the recommended replacements and implementation tips for deprecated task types.

important

Because these tasks will be deprecated, migrating your processes to existing processes is recommended, which should be able to perform the same functions.

Old task typeTask type to useHow to use
Request approvalUpdate change requestSet the change to the correct state that initiates approval
Get Change RequestFind Change RequestAll methods return a complete set of fields for the change
Check StatusWait for StatusSimilar, but with more options
Update CMDBUpdate ApplicationUse 'Additional fields' instead of removed ones
Schedule TaskNo alternative-

Removed Tasks​

The following task types have been removed and must be migrated:

  • ServiceNow: Create Record
  • ServiceNow: Create New Record
  • ServiceNow: Update Record
  • ServiceNow: Create New Service Request
  • ServiceNow: Create New Request Item
  • ServiceNow: Create New Change Request
  • ServiceNow: Create Task
  • ServiceNow: Update Task
  • ServiceNow: Create Request

For more information, see: